Shadow Dagger Ch. 17

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The changing of the tide, heralding a unknown future.
9.3k words
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Part 17 of the 20 part series

Updated 10/26/2022
Created 02/06/2010
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Evelyn remembered little of her wedding feast. From the moment Reynar's lips touched hers, her mind retreated behind a wall. It wasn't a conscious decision. Perhaps deep down she realized that she wasn't ready yet.

She did remember bits and pieces, though. She remembered sitting next to Reynar on top of a huge dais as they feasted. Numerous tables were lined up below them and were filled with various Magi and nobles.

She recalled several important people rising to their feet to toast her and wish her well. She knew there had been countless acrobats and musicians. She even remembered laughing at some bawdy song.

She remembered the wine, especially. The wine was a godsend. Thoughts of what might happen that night caused her to drink glass after glass. Perhaps that's why she recalled little of the feast. She wasn't known to be a heavy drinker.

Memory wasn't recalled clearly until this very moment, as she rested her head against the glass window of her bedroom. No, not her bedroom;their bedroom.

Reynar had led her up to the room to soothe her head. He said he needed to break up the feast and send everybody home before coming upstairs. So she still had time to think about what was going to happen in this bedroom.

Laughter floated up from the courtyard below her window. Hundreds of torches painted her face in flickering red shadows and illuminated the scene below.

A band of musicians was playing a fast tempo song as hundreds of people stepped in rhythm together on a wooden dance floor. An open-sided tent had been erected to keep the weather off of the dancers. The fabric fluttered from a warm summer breeze.

Evelyn's heart ached as she watched the merriment below her. She would have loved to been here with Daminus. They would have celebrated the marriage of a new queen by drinking and dancing. Daminus had loved to dance.

With a pain almost too great to bear, she remembered her own wedding. She had worn a simple dress of blue. Daminus had matched her with a beautiful coat and trousers made especially for that day. His blond hair seem to glow under the sun.

She remembered looking up at him, seeing his wide smile and the crinkles at the corner of his eyes. Those precious lines would never leave his eyes. He had loved to smile too much to worry about such things. Her smile had matched his that day. In fact, she couldn't recall it ever leaving her face the entire day.

It was the little things, like his laugh lines, that she remembered the most. She closed her eyes at the memory of his face and exhaled slowly. He was dead and never coming back. She promised herself that she had to let go. Daminus wouldn't want her to wallow in self-pity.

The sound of footsteps broke her out of her thoughts. She glanced down at the courtyard again. The musicians were putting up their instruments, much to the dismay of several drunken onlookers. Men and women were slowly walking out of the gate, the women mostly supporting their husbands as they stumbled down the path.

The footsteps stopped by the doorway. Evelyn turned from the window. "I hope I didn't deprive people of their fun," she said.

Reynar walked into the room hesitantly. "Of course not, my dear. Truth be told, if I let them drink much more this palace would have probably been burned down by morning."

Evelyn laughed. She felt a small bit of tension leave her; a small mercy. "It was a lovely wedding," she said, as the silence stretched between them.

"I agree," Reynar replied. He walked closer and sat on the edge of the bed.

Evelyn felt the tension returned as she noted where he sat down. She quickly looked away. "I'm afraid it was all a blur to me," Evelyn said, hoping to delay the inevitable.

"And for me, too," Reynar said, his voice suddenly husky. "I still can't believe it actually happened. To be married to such a remarkable woman..." He trailed off, shaking his head.

Married. For some reason, the word shocked her. She reached up hesitantly and felt the tiara still resting on her head. It was real.

"I really am the queen," she breathed.

"Do you regret it?" Reynar asked quickly. He sounded vulnerable.

"It's too early to know that," Evelyn said truthfully. "As of right now, it still feels right to me."

"Good," Reynar said, sounding relieved. He looked down at his hands and took a breath. "About what I promised you..."

"It's ok," Evelyn replied, though she felt anything but ok. "I know you have too much to deal with as it is."

An uncomfortable silence stretched between them. Now that the moment had arrived, Evelyn felt strangely detached. Perhaps she was retreating back into that safe place in her mind. Ever since her coma, she could feel it there. It was a place where Daminus was still alive.

"Tell me more about this process," Evelyn said, finally breaking the silence. "Why is this necessary?"

Reynar shifted on the bed. He cleared his throat before speaking. "As we discussed before, the continuance of the Lobare line is of the utmost importance. It's my line that the God declared to be the rule of Astuari. It has to be secured."

"I understand that," Evelyn said, nodding. "I just don't understand why a royal physician has to actually make sure the marriage was consummated."

"It's a valid question," Reynar replied. "A few generations ago, the King at that time was...well...I don't know how to say this so I'm just going to speak bluntly. The King held no desire for what a woman possessed between her legs."

Evelyn gasped. Reynar smiled awkwardly and Evelyn couldn't keep the amusement out of her voice.

"He didn't desire women? Then that means..."

Reynar laughed. "Yes, he much preferred the more rugged sex. So, as you can probably guess, the line of Lobare was in trouble."

"How did they resolve that?"

"They tied him down, blindfolded him, and had the queen speak in a deep voice!" Reynar said, shaking with laughter.

Evelyn couldn't help but join him; his laughter was infectious. "Poor man!"

They enjoyed the laughter for several blissful moments. Finally, the laughter died away and the awkward silence returned, even heavier than before.

"Ever since then the physicians make sure that the marriage is consummated the night of the wedding. Nothing can jeopardize the line of Lobare. Nothing."

"I see," Evelyn said, sighing. "Then there probably isn't a way to fool them, is there?"

Reynar shook his head slowly. "I wish I had time to think of a solution but nothing is coming to me. After we...finish, they will come by and examine you. They will see if my seed..."

"I understand," Evelyn replied. She looked around the room, her heart thumping into her throat. She opened her mouth once to speak but only a squeak came out. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Can we do this in the complete dark?"

"Of course!" Reynar said, hopping up from the bed. He strode around the room, pinching the candles as he went.

While he did that, Evelyn stood up on shaky legs and closed all the curtains in the room. The light in the room vanished almost completely.

A ball of mage light appeared near the ceiling, illuminating the room in a pale blue light. "I will dismiss it once we're ready," Reynar said.

Evelyn didn't know what to do next. Neither, it seemed, did Reynar. They looked at each other uncomfortably as another silence stretched between them.

"I guess...we get undressed?" Reynar said, his voice creaking with nervousness.

"It feels like we're children again," Evelyn said. She laughed shakily.

Reynar tried to smile but it slid on and off his face. "Before we do anything, I want to once again apologize. I know this isn't what you wanted so soon after Daminus' death."

"Please," Evelyn pleaded, holding up a hand. "Don't say his name."

"I'm sorry," Reynar said, stepping toward her. He took her hand in his and looked down into her eyes. "Once it's dark, it will be easier to imagine that it's him and not me. It won't hurt my pride, I promise."

Evelyn felt her strength leave her. She dropped her head against his chest. "Thank you."

He said nothing. He rubbed her shoulders comfortingly. Evelyn closed her eyes and kept her head resting on his chest. She could hear his heart thumping away.

She wasn't surprised when she felt his caressing hands slowly tug on the shoulders of her dress. One dark hand slid the strap on her left shoulder down her arm. Goosebumps erupted along the wake of his hand.

"Is it ok?" he whispered.

Evelyn nodded into his chest, her eyes still closed. "The light, please."

Everything vanished into darkness. A ball of warm light filled her stomach, where a new life was growing. The warmth rose up through her chest, soothing away all worries and doubts.

"It's going to be alright," Daminus breathed into her ear.

Her soul sang in joy when she heard his voice. The warmth spread into her fingertips. "Be gentle," she whispered back. "It's been a while since we've done this."

"I know," Daminus whispered.

He rubbed her arms, spreading fire through her limbs. The other strap of the dress came down her arm. She shrugged out of it. All the while, a steadybump bump beat within her stomach.

She felt Daminus kneel on the floor. He gently tugged the dress down her body. He caressed her ankle and foot as he slid it out. She was left standing in a modest shift.

Bump bump.

His hand rose slowly up her thigh, bunching the shift around his hand. She arched her back and purred. Daminus always did have magic hands. Those hands slid softly up her thighs, making her shudder.

Bump bump.

Daminus stood up, towering over her. The shift followed his hands. Evelyn raised her arms and felt the cloth leave her body. His hands descended down her arms in a loving caress. They trailed lightly across her chest and down to her nipples. Two thumbs passed ever so slightly across her nipples.

She gasped and clutched his coat. She hurriedly started to undo the buttons on his coat.

Bump bump.

His hands stopped their caress of her breasts long enough for him to shrug out of the coat. Evelyn hissed in impatience when she felt the shirt on his chest. The laces on that were quickly undone. Being considerably taller than her, he lifted the shirt off of his head himself.

Bump bump.

His hands continued their work on her breasts. She ran her hands over the hardness of his chest and stomach, feeling hard, knotted muscle. The warm feeling inside of her faltered for a second. Daminus had always been soft and firm, not heavily muscled.

Bump bump bump bump.

The warmth filled her once again. She smiled as she playfully bit his chest. She felt him gasp and shudder slightly. She ran her tongue over the hard groves on his stomach and knelt down, tugging on the laces of his trousers.

Powerful hands helped her unlace them faster. She smiled at his impatience and lowered the trousers to the ground. She picked up each foot to remove his boots and the legs of the trousers.

Bump bump.

They were both naked now. Evelyn stood up and ran her hand along his thigh. She trailed it across the top of his crotch and down the other thigh. She could feel the heavy breathing above her. Her hand bumped slightly against the hardness hanging between his legs.

Bump bump bump bump.

Evelyn blinked but it didn't do any good. The room was too dark to see anything. The cock in her hand was unfamiliar. Had it been so long since she had last been with Daminus?

BUMP BUMP BUMP BUMP.

Yes, it had been that long. Her hands and feet tingled from a rush of warmth from her stomach. All was right in the world again. She had her love, her husband, her soul-mate.

Daminus' hand eagerly appeared between her legs as she caressed the solid weight of his cock. His fingers lit a fire between her legs with every slight brush, sending waves of goosebumps over her arms. In an instant, his fingers were coated with her wetness.

She shuddered with pleasure and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Do you like that?" he whispered.

"I've always loved that," she moaned.

His finger withdrew from between her legs. She sensed some type of hesitancy from him. But before she could think about that, his finger returned quickly, sending more waves of pleasure through her body. She knew he was enjoying it; she could feel his cock throbbing in her hand.

"I want you," she whispered by his ear, before gently biting it.

He didn't waste any time. His powerful arms scooped her up off the floor and he carried her over to the bed. She heard him moan as she continued to suck on his ear. Her lowered her to the bed gently.

"Come here," she urged him, as she pulled on his cock.

She felt his weight settle over her, his cock resting against her soaking tunnel. He moved slowly, deliberately, as he rubbed his length against her. She gasped, her back arching beneath him, as the pleasure threatened to overwhelm her.

"Please," she begged him, not quite knowing where the desperation came from.

She felt him hesitate for a slight moment as the head of his cock stop short of entering her. "Are you sure?" her husband whispered.

"Yes, you fool!" she cried, reaching down to grab his throbbing shaft.

She shoved his cock toward her opening but she missed. He got the hint, though. His hand replaced hers and he slowly guided his burning cock into her opening.

She dug her hands into his back and bit down hard on his shoulder as he entered her. For a brief moment, his cock felt unfamiliar inside of her. The warm feeling that had suffused her since this started fled her, leaving her almost shivering with cold and confusion.

Then another great burst of warmth spread up from her stomach and into her limbs, leaving her giddy with pleasure.

She held him tight as he slowly began pumping inside of her. Every thrust sent shivers of bliss through her, causing her to clench hard around his cock. The friction between her clenching and his hard cock was the most incredible feeling she had ever experienced.

"By the God," he grunted, as he increased the tempo of his thrusting. "This is better than I ever imagined!"

She couldn't respond. Her focus was solely on enjoying every second of this long-missed night of passion. Before long, he was moaning as much as her. She held back her own ecstasy as she felt the pressure build up inside of his cock.

He cried out and buried his head against her shoulder as he pumped his seed inside of her. The warmth of his seed pushed her over the edge. She cried out, too, as she shuddered beneath him.

The next few minutes were spent catching their breath. Every twitch of his body sent another jolt of pleasure through her. He seemed reluctant to withdrew his cock from her. Even now, he was hard and showed no signs of softening.

"Do you want to go again?" he asked eagerly.

She was tired and wanted nothing more to fall asleep in his arms. But perhaps she had another session left in her. She opened her mouth to tell him so but the warmth that had sustained her the last hour suddenly vanished.

She gasped. It felt as though a veil had been removed from her eyes and heart. "Daminus?" she asked fearfully.

She felt the man on top of her stiffen. "No," Reynar replied icily.

"Get off!" Evelyn screamed, pushing against his chest.

Reynar scrambled across the bed. "What in the nine hells is wrong with you?"

Evelyn chocked back a sob and pulled the blankets up to her chin. "Just leave me, please!"

"Evelyn, what--"

"LEAVE!" she screamed desperately.

It was too dark to see him but she sensed him walk across the room, perhaps to grab a robe. "I will send the physician in," he said, his voice cold and emotionless.

Evelyn didn't reply. She heard the door close. As soon as it did, she buried her face into her pillow and wept. She didn't allow herself to weep long, however, because she didn't want the physician to think anything was wrong.

But something was wrong. She knew what it was. She sat up on the bed, wiped her eyes, and put her hand on her stomach. She had somehow been fooled to think that Daminus had come back to her and had made love to her.

It was as though somebody had sought to protect her. The warm feeling...it had come from her stomach.

From her baby.

"What are you?" she whispered into the dark room.

Her words hung in the air, unanswered.

***

Reynar shut the door behind him and leaned his forehead against it.Did that really just happen? She really thought I was Daminus?

He had been so excited, too. He thought she had finally decided to open up to him. What just happened in there was one of the most erotic things that he had ever experienced. And now...now he just felt sick.

"My liege?" a voice asked from behind him.

Reynar suppressed a sigh and turned from the door. A female physician stood nervously before him. "She's ready," he told her.

The woman smiled in relief. "I'm so glad to hear that, my liege. We have been worried for many years."

"Well now you don't have to!" Reynar snapped, before he could control his emotions.

The physician blinked uncertainly. "My liege...if I offended you, please forgive--"

"I'm sorry, I'm just tired," Reynar interrupted. "It's been a long night. Please, don't let me bother you any longer. I know you're probably anxious to examine her already."

She bowed. "Thank you, my liege."

Reynar strode swiftly down the hallway, the physician already out of his thoughts. This night hadn't turn out the way he had hoped.

And what was I hoping for, really? That she would just forget about Daminus and welcome me with open arms? Oh God, I am a fool. Even if she could love me, it wouldn't last long. Not after I do what I have to.

He didn't want to think about that right now. It was his wedding night; he wanted to at least enjoy one night of peace.

He should have known better.

"My liege, there is urgent news," Sereph greeted Reynar as he walked into his private study.

Reynar swore quietly under his breath. "Tonight, Sereph? Really?"

Sereph fell silent, his eyes studying Reynar's face. Reynar turned away from that piercing stare. "It didn't go well?" Sereph asked quietly.

Reynar turned, his mouth opening to tell Sereph the truth, when he spotted Lenard standing back behind Sereph, his body half hidden in the moonlight filtering in from the tall windows.

"What's the urgent news?" Reynar asked instead.

Sereph motioned Lenard to join them. "My liege, Lenard has some very troubling news to share."

"The man can speak for himself, can he not?" Reynar growled, suddenly too impatient to deal with formalities right now.

"Yes, my liege," Lenard said, bowing. "As Sereph said, I have very troubling news. I hate to bring this to you on your wedding night, but I don't think it's wise to waste any more time."

"Does this have anything to do with Raynolt?" Reynar asked, guessing.

Lenard nodded. "Two days ago Raynolt received a message from Sophina Crews. Apparently she managed to catch a Magi Victus in broad daylight. She threatened him to carry a message to Raynolt and Sanje."

Reynar tensed. "She captured a Magi Victus? In broad daylight? How?"

"I don't know, my lord. But that's not the worst of it. Apparently she sought out Raynolt in order to form an alliance."

"Not unexpected," Reynar said, frowning. "I don't see the urgency of this news."

"My liege, Sophina Crews has somehow managed to hire Peron and his mercenary band. They intend to storm the palace to assassinate you. We just had a meeting an hour ago. They were discussing the logistics of this attempt."

"I knew I should've killed Peron when I had the chance!" Reynar growled. He punched his hand into his palm so hard that for a moment he thought he broke his own hand.

"That's still not the worst of the news," Lenard continued. "Apparently, in order to entice Raynolt and his loyal Magi to join them, Jon Laurent has offered to teach Raynolt the secret of the Shadow Dagger and all he knows about magic. He's also willing to give Raynolt his own Shadow Dagger."